Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1887-11-02

back it at fifty to one. She would do this
sometimes before the weights appeared.
Then her father would say: "Aggie" that
iswhat he called her)-"Aggie, your horse
is at ten or twelve to one. am going to
hedge part of your money for you" AS
my half sovereign was in my mistress
bet, of course 1 went with her, and more
often won than lost.
The Attorney General-Without going
minutely into the technicalities Of horse
racing and betting, may we take it that
the principle of the hedging you have
spoken of is wise, from gambling point
of view?
Witness-Oh, yes. By backing likely
horse at long price, as my mistress had
the opportunity of doing through her
father, and by laying against it Il 1t
comes to short price, you reduce the
chances of losing. That is good hedg-
ing.
The Attorney General-Can anybody do
that?
Witness-Well, not exactly. Those who
are behind the scenes have the best ad-
vantage. AS rule the people who back
horses ore gulls. Thy is why the book
makers make fortunes. They are play
ing ata q game they know; nine out of ten
who bet with them are playing at game
they don't know. That is how it is. l
have heard Mr.. Beach say: sThc devil
is on our side"
The Attorney Generak-Meaning on the
side of the boolmakers?
Witness-Yes.
The Attorney GeneraL-Were you fond
Of betting yourself9
Witness-I hated it. I only did what
nv mistres. advised me, to do to please
her.
The Attorney Genera!-To return to
tho house which was PAL tly paid for with
the money your mistress won. Did the
prisoner take an aceive part in tho Sc
lection of the furniture?
Witness-He did nothing whatever.
Everything was done by my mistress, and
she was disappointed be cause he would
not 60 with her to tho diff erent establish
ments she visited. But in the end she
argued rs she always did when he was In
question. He was quite right, she said;
she could not expect him to trouble him
self about such things; it was a womans
business, and by leaving ev erythlng TO her
it showed that he believed. she had good
taste.
The Attorney General-'When they were
settled in London what kind of society
did they keep?
Witness-At first the same as used to
come to Mr.. Beach's house. Mr.. Beach
brought them, but 7dr. Layton was rude
and uncivil to them, and after time they
stopped away. must say, if he was rude
and uncivil to them, they were quite as
rude and uncivil to him, and if he had met
them with the temper they displayed moth
ing could have prevented the occurrence
of disgraceful scenes. He behaved to them
in exactly the same way he behaved to
my mistress when they disagreed. He
left the house. and did not return till they
were all gone.
The Attorney General-Were they in
the habit of coming to the house without
receiving IN invitation from its master?
Witness-I believe so. My mistress
would say: "Papa is going to bring
three or four friends to inner" He
would look at her and say nothing; and
when the dinner was served Mr.. Layton
would be absent Mr.. Beach would then
take the head of the table, and have
heard him, when he was filled with cham
pagne-he scarcely ever draI TX anything
else but champagne and wh isky-speak
very angrily about ''the stuck up pride
of his fine gentleman son III law. The
other guests were not beliindhand in
abusing him.
The Attorney GeneraJ-Afthough they
were eating at his table and drinking bis
wine?
Witness-Yes. At other times in the
Nv, of homo
with my mistress, Mr.. Beach would make
his appearance unexpectedly with his
friends; but Mr.. Layton would never re-
main in their company. 1t seemed to me
that Mr. Beach did these things to veS
Mr.. Layton, and that it was kind OF
battle between them as to who should be
master.
The Attorney General-A battle, how,
ever, in which the prisoner did not take
any violent part?
Witness-But it ended in his being left
the master of the field.
The Attorney General-ExplGin.
Witness-After twelve months or sd
Mr.. Beach's friends ceased entirely to
come to the house. Then, when Mr.. Beach
came, he came alone.
The Attorney General-On these occa.
sions did the prisoner remain at home?
Witness-Yes, whenever Mr.. Beach
was alone Mr.. Layton remained in.
The Attorney General-HOw did they
pass the time?
Witness-Playing billiards, generally.
The Attorney General-Now, in all
the questions have asked and you have
answered, there are two subjects upon
which no definite information has been
forthcoming. Give your best attention to
them. Are you aware that before or at
the time of the prisoners engagement with
your mistress he had been or was engaged
to another lady? Take tima You have
said that you were in the confidence of
your mistress, and that she used to speak
freely to you. At any period during these
communications did she refel. to another
engagement?
Witness-It was in this way, and ]
can't answer the question in any other.
The Attorney General-Answer it as
best you can.
Witness-At one time my mistress
said II wonder if Mr.. Layton. before he
saw me, was ever in love?' That was the
way it was first introduced. did not
know how to answer her without running
the risk of hurting her feelings, but she
pressed me, and 1 was forced to say
thought it very unlikely that a gentleman
as good looking as he was should not have
had his fancies. She pressed me further
until I said there were very few men OF
his age who had not been in love. She
appeared distressed ut this, but soon
frightened up, and said: "What is that to
me so long as he is mine?" But it,,weighed
upon her mind, as was proved by her tell
ing me at another time that she had asked
Mr.. Layton whether lie had ever been in
love and that he would not give her any
satisfaction, which, to my mind, was quite
as good as confessing that he had been.
These conversations between my mistress
and me took place in the early days, and
for some time after her marriage she did
not say anything more about it. But
when she was laid OIL u sick bed-l mean
within few months of her being MUIR
dered-
The Attorney General-Do not say
that. It is for the jury to decide. Say
within few months of her death.
Witness-Well, within few months
of her death she told me at least half n
dozen times that she had discovered that
h had been in love with another lady,
and that she believed he was so when he
married her. She said it was wicked and
abominable, and that if she saw 1.-THE
creature" she would kill her.
The Attorney General this
to be true, your mistress never discovered